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Dorothy MacardleDraft Treaty ADorothy MacardleThe Irish Republic: a documented chronicle of the Anglo-Irish conflict and the partitioning of Ireland, with a detailed account of the period 1916–1923Victor Gollancz LtdLondon1937937–939

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This is the rough draft of the External Association Proposal, embodying ideas and principles agreed upon by the Republican Cabinet, which formed the basis of the Irish offer during the London Conference in 1921.

(Outlines for ideas and principles only. Wording tentative and rough. Expert draftsmen will be engaged for the wording and form when the
principles are agreed upon.)

RECITAL

Great Britain having, in the name of the British Commonwealth, invited Ireland to enter into association with her and the other states of that Commonwealth, and Great Britain and Ireland being equally desirous to end the ruinous secular conflict between them and to secure the mutual benefits of concord and amity, have resolved to conclude a Treaty of Settlement, Accommodation, and Association, and for that purpose have appointed,
the Government of Great Britain…the Elected Government of Ireland…
who, after communicating to each other their respective full powers,
found in good and due form, agree upon the following:

ARTICLE I

Great Britain and the partner states of the British Commonwealth recognise Ireland as a sovereign independent state, and Great Britain renounces all claims to govern or to legislate for Ireland.

ARTICLE II

Ireland agrees to become an external associate of the states of the British Commonwealth. As an associate Ireland's status shall be that of equality with the sovereign partner states of the Commonwealth and Ireland shall be separately represented in the British Imperial Council—Great Britain, Canada, Australia, etc.—and shall be so recognised by those several states.

ARTICLE III

In virtue of Ireland's association with the states of the British Commonwealth, citizens of Ireland shall enjoy in each of these states the same rights and privileges as if they were natural born citizens of these states, and reciprocally the citizens of each of these states shall enjoy in Ireland the rights of natural born Irish citizens.

ARTICLE IV

Irish citizens resident in the states of the British Commonwealth, and reciprocally citizens of these states resident in Ireland, shall be excepted from all compulsory service in the military, naval or police forces of the states in which they are resident and from all contributions which may be imposed in lieu of personal service.

ARTICLE V

Ireland accepts and the British Commonwealth guarantees the perpetual neutrality of Ireland and the integrity and inviolability of Irish territory; and both in its own interest and in friendly regard to the strategic interests of the British Commonwealth binds itself to enter into no compact, and to take no action, nor permit any action to be taken, inconsistent with the obligation of preserving its own neutrality and inviolability and to repel with force any attempt to violate its territory or to use its territorial waters for warlike purposes.

ARTICLE VI

Financial article, to be drafted by MINISTER OF FINANCE.

ARTICLE VII

Trade article, to be drafted by MINISTER OF ECONOMIC AFFAIRS.

ARTICLE VIII

Constitution and Ulster Question—to be drafted by Mr. Griffith.

ARTICLE IX

Within fourteen days of the signing of this Treaty, the British Government shall evacuate from Ireland and all Military forces and all auxiliary police and all members of their police forces in Ireland recruited since the 1st day of January, 1919.

ARTICLE X

This Treaty shall be ratified. It shall be submitted on the side of Ireland to DÁIL ÉIREANN, and on the side of Great Britain to the Parliament of Westminster. Should ratification not ensue, or should either parliament so determine, it shall be submitted to the peoples of the respective countries, and if the Treaty shall be approved by a majority of the electors, it shall be deemed to have been ratified by the peoples of these respective countries.

For ratification by the states of the British Commonwealth other than Great Britain, this Treaty shall be communicated by the Government of Great Britain, to the Governors of the Dominion of Canada, Commonwealth of Australia, and the Dominion of New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and the Colony of Newfoundland, for transmission to the Parliaments of these respective states. Refusal or failure, however, of any of these states to ratify shall not affect the general validity of the Treaty.

ARTICLE XI

As soon as ratification of this Treaty shall have been exchanged, the British Government shall communicate the text of Articles to all states with which it entertains diplomatic relations, and the text of the Treaty as a whole to the President and Council of the League of Nations.

The British Government engages to support the securing of the formal recognition of Ireland's perpetual neutrality by the United States of America, by Germany, and by Russia, and by other States with which Great Britain entertains diplomatic relations and which are not members of the League of Nations.

The representatives of the British Commonwealth in the League of Nations engage to support the formal recognition of Ireland's neutrality, integrity, and inviolability by the League of Nations in conformity with the similar guarantee in favour of Switzerland recognised by Article 455 of the Treaty of Versailles of June 28th, 1919, and to support an application that may hereafter be made by Ireland for inclusion in the League of
Nations.